


Two Days With Tracy

by TMar



Category: Forever Knight
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 15:20:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16579067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TMar/pseuds/TMar
Summary: Tracy has to stay with Nick for a couple of days. Poor Nick... or should that be poor Tracy?





	Two Days With Tracy

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in 1996. Forever Knight was a fun show!

TWO DAYS WITH TRACY

Nick looked over at his partner and sighed. Two whole days in her  
company. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle it. Luckily he'd asked  
Natalie for some help stocking the fridge, the kitchen cupboards, the  
bathroom...

"I'm sorry, Nick," Tracy said apologetically. "I didn't think the captain   
would tell me to come stay here while my apartment is drying out."

Nick was still irritated about that, but he understood the captain's  
logic: it would be easy to find Tracy that way. Nick was also still a  
bit peeved with Natalie for not volunteering. And what about all Tracy's  
friends? What about Vachon, for that matter? He didn't even have to hide  
his vampirism from Tracy!

Nick began preparing his paints. He'd decided to bring the blood in  
the fridge out into the open, so to speak. Pretending to be engrossed in  
what he was doing he casually said to Tracy, "Could you please pass me a  
bottle of blood?"

Tracy was eating when he said that, and nearly choked on her food.  
"Wh... what?"

Nick looked at her with that 'what now' look on his face. "Blood? In  
the refrigerator? In the green bottles? Pass me one?"

"What for? I mean, why..."

"For the paints. Thickener? Cow blood?"

"Oh." Tracy looked mortified, but dutifully went and got a bottle of  
the stuff for him. "So... you use cow blood to thicken paint? Never  
heard of that before."

"It's a very old European technique," replied her partner. "Sometimes  
the old way of doing things is still the best."

"If you say so," said Tracy, watching as Nick went about pouring the  
blood into the paint a little at a time.

As he worked, Nick got hungrier, and more annoyed. He contemplated  
forgetting the cow blood and just biting Tracy, but it was just a momentary,  
mad thought. She wasn't so bad, actually, and he didn't want to have to break  
in yet another partner... Presently Tracy got up and went to the bathroom,  
whereupon Nick drank some of the blood.

She came back in. "Sure you don't want some of this?" Pizza. Thank  
goodness there was no garlic on it. "No, not now. This diet Natalie has  
me on is very strict."

"Yeah, but you can't put everything in the blender."

Nick grinned. "I have to. And take garlic pills. Vitamin A. All sorts  
of things."

"Natalie really thinks this'll cure your allergy?"

"Yeah."

"What about Vitamin D and stuff?"

"Pills. And the sunbed."

Tracy's mouth dropped open. "Sunbed?"

"Yeah. Feel free to use it anytime." Nick wasn't sure he could keep  
from laughing if this conversation continued. He remembered Schanke's  
suspicions. This time, Nick wasn't going to hide anything... well, not  
much. And Tracy took it all in stride. Not once did she look at him  
oddly or ask questions. She accepted what he said. Even the blood in the  
fridge.

Now Tracy was changing stations on his TV. 'Bram Stoker's Dracula'  
appeared on one, and she stopped flipping. Nick stood next to the couch  
and smirked. He couldn't help himself. "That's a good book," he  
eventually said.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. This is a good version of it."

"Except some of the stuff about vampires is wrong," said Nick  
nonchalantly just as Tracy took a drink of soda. Of course, she choked again.

"What?"

"Most cultures have legends like this. Not all of them agree on the details."

"I wouldn't have figured you for being interested," said Tracy.

Nick shrugged. "I suppose I can see the attraction. Blood, sexuality. I've   
read a bit about it. But I wouldn't go on TV and tell the world I knew one."

Tracy smiled, thinking of the case where the woman had said her boyfriend  
was a a vampire. "Me neither. But don't you sometimes wonder..." She trailed  
off, looking at him uncertainly.

"What?"

"Whether maybe some of the legends are true?"

Nick smirked at her again. He'd found that a perfectly effective way of   
making his partner think she'd said something really stupid. And it worked.

"Never mind," Tracy said, turning off the TV.

***

On her lunch break that night Tracy went to see Vachon. "This guy is  
just unbelievable!" she said, tucking some hair behind an ear. "Nothing  
can fluster him." She paused. "Do you know he uses cow blood to thicken  
his paints?"

"That's about all it's good for," said Vachon, knowing about Nick's  
odd dining choices.

"And he has a sunbed!"

That nonplussed Vachon for a minute. "Nick Knight has a sunbed?"

"Yeah! He's just... he's very closed."

"But you like him," said Vachon.

Tracy considered. She did indeed like him. She nodded. "Yeah. He's  
very skeptical, but he's a good partner."

"I'm glad for ya, Trace."

***

Luckily Natalie had dropped off a protein shake just before Tracy arrived  
back at Nick's loft after their shift, pillows and teddy bear in hand.

"What's that?"

"It's just a friend of mine, I've had it since I was a kid... okay?"

"Okay." Nick smirked a bit. "Wanna try some of this?" He held up the  
protein shake.

"What is it?"

"It's my dinner."

Tracy drank a little, and spluttered. "Yuk! Are you sure you can't eat  
decent food?"

Nick looked just a bit wistful. "I wish I could, Trace. You have no idea  
how I want to."

"Well, what happens if you do eat decent food?"

"I get sick."

"Sorry." Tracy collapsed onto the couch. "I'm sorry I'm putting you to  
all this trouble."

"It's okay, really." It could hardly be worse than when Schanke had  
stayed with him that time... Although, he hadn't had to worry that Schanke  
would find clues to him being a vampire. Well, not much. Schanke hadn't  
known about vampires.

Just then, the partners heard the elevator. It was Vachon. "Hi. Nice place."

Nick sighed. Deeply. And rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Umm... I thought I'd spend the day with Trace. Watch movies. Trace says  
you have a whole collection."

If Tracy hadn't been sitting right there Nick would have hissed at Vachon  
and flung him across the room. And Vachon knew it, which was why he was  
grinning at Nick. Nick might still stake him after this was over, but the  
look on his face might be worth it. No wonder LaCroix continued to pester  
Nicholas after 800 years. The man was a living (okay, undead) entertainment!

"Do what you like," said Nick. "I'm going to sleep." And he headed up the  
stairs.

Vachon burst out laughing.

"What?" asked Tracy.

"That partner if yours is something else."

Tracy smiled. "Yeah, I guess he is."

***

Nick didn't get much sleep - for one thing, Tracy had turned the TV up very  
loud and he was really getting sick of Brad Pitt. "Still whining, Louis..."  
he heard Tom Cruise say, and took the pillow off of his head. Hopefully  
Tracy wouldn't decide to go through every vampire movie that there was -  
though 'Love at First Bite' had been quite entertaining. Nick heard the TV  
sound go off. So they weren't going to watch anything else, in which case  
now might be the right time to see what was going on downstairs.

He saw the two of them in the kitchen area. Tracy was mixing one of the  
breakfast cereals he'd bought, and Vachon was drinking... his cow blood!  
Nick almost rushed down to stop him, but Tracy turned around and caught  
Vachon. "What are you doing!" She snatched the bottle away. "That's cow  
blood!"

Vachon shrugged. "I know. So?"

"So it's not for drinking! It's for Nick's painting! You can't just go  
drinking it!"

"Oh, like he's really gonna miss a few mouthfuls."

"Well..." Tracy fidgeted. "He might. Besides, I thought you said it was horrible."

"Yeah, but I was hungry! You didn't want to wake up a few pints low, did you?"

Tracy looked away. "Er... no."

"Thank you." Vachon drank a bit more. "This stuff is really horrible."

"What are you doing?" Nick chose that moment to step into the  
conversation, causing Vachon to spray cow blood everywhere.

Tracy turned red. "Ah, Nick, er, we can explain..." She looked helplessly  
at Vachon.

Vachon tried not to smile. "Yeah, er... I thought it was..."

"Wine!" yelled Tracy. "That's it! He thought it was red wine! I didn't  
warn him in time, I'm sorry!"

Nick took the bottle from Vachon. "Well, I guess you know now that it isn't."

"Yeah."

Nick picked up the cork, about to put it back on the bottle. Tracy had,  
for some reason, decided to clean up the blood. Nick nodded his head at  
Vachon, who suddenly realised he was being chauvinistic again. "Trace, let  
me do that. It was my fault."

As they turned away, Nick turned towards the refrigerator and downed a few  
gulps.

He managed to have a straight face when they turned back, but this abruptly   
turned to shock when, suddenly, LaCroix was standing in his apartment.

Nick looked to Tracy, whose expression clearly showed that she knew who  
he was... or at least, what he was. The look on LaCroix's face told Nick he  
would enjoy his discomfort immensely.

Tracy broke the silence. "Er... hi."

"What a pleasure to see you, my dear. Tracy, isn't it?"

"Yes." Tracy drew herself up. "You're the owner of the Raven."

"That's right. And you're..." He glanced briefly at Nick. "Detective  
Knight's new partner. And Vachon's new friend."

Tracy said nothing to that, and somewhere inside Nick was tickled that  
Tracy was the uncomfortable one - well, who wouldn't be, faced with  
LaCroix's scrutiny?

Vachon and Nick exchanged a glance, but said nothing. LaCroix's smile  
only got wider - they were in BIG trouble. "Can I help you with something?"  
Nick asked finally.

"Why, Detective, I was about to ask you that." LaCroix turned to Tracy  
and smoothly said, "You see, Tracy, I believe that I have some information  
for your partner."

"Well, what is it?" asked Nick.

"I would much rather discuss the matter in private."

"Fine." Nick indicated the stairs to his bedroom. "Excuse us."

Once upstairs, Nick could hardly contain himself. "LaCroix, what are you  
doing? Do you want Tracy to find out about me?"

"My dear Nicholas, you should realise by now that Tracy thinks you're a  
complete skeptic. Why, just before I arrived I believe she was trying to  
hide the fact that our Spanish friend was drinking your... special vintage."

Nick sighed. "What do you want, LaCroix?"

"Oh, the usual."

"To make my life a living hell."

"Not quite. I don't know if you've noticed, Nicholas, but our  
relationship has been far more... amicable lately."

"I'd noticed. So?"

"So I decided to come and see your lovely partner."

The way in which his master said it alerted Nick immediately. "Why?"

"Let's just say that... some people would like to know if she represents  
a threat to our community."

Nick was startled. "The Enforcers!"

"They... asked... me to find out. And what better way, than when she is  
with you and Javier Vachon?" The way in which LaCroix said the word 'asked'  
made Nick realise that the ancient vampire had been *ordered* to do it, and  
that he didn't like it one bit.

"She's a resistor, LaCroix, but she won't talk. She knows the risks."

"And you're certain she has no proof of our existence?"

"Yes, I'm certain."

"Well, then I shall be on my way." LaCroix turned to go, which quite  
nonplussed Nick.

"What?"

"That's all I came for, Nicholas. I do have better things to do with my  
nights, as you well know." He descended the stairs. "I do have to go now, my  
dear," he said to Tracy, charm on full. He even kissed her hand and Nick,  
seeing this, nearly fainted. But he managed to 'see LaCroix out' easily  
enough, and came back to where Tracy and Vachon were standing.

"What did he want?" Tracy asked.

Nick shrugged. "I'm not really sure. Something about suspicious people in  
the Raven. I told him I'd come by sometime, that's all."

Tracy had - once again - paled when Nick had mentioned suspicious people.  
But she bounced back pretty quickly. "It's almost time for our shift."

It was actually two hours away, and Nick said so.

"Yeah, but I figured you might let me buy you breakfast." She pushed aside   
the breakfast cereal she had been about to eat. "We can have a decent meal."

Vachon grinned at him, and Nick felt like finding a stake... but all he said to   
Tracy was, "Nah, I'd better not. My allergy. But we can still go, if you want."

"Great! I'll change!" Tracy dashed upstairs with her togbag, robe flying,  
giving Nick and Vachon a nice view of her short Simpsons pyjamas. At least,  
Vachon appreciated the view. Nick was too relieved that Tracy would soon be  
out of his hair to care.

***

When Tracy came back downstairs, Vachon had left. 

"Is it sunset already?" Tracy asked, then turned away blushing when she   
realised what she had said.

Nick smirked completely naturally this time, but his partner didn't see  
it. "Uh... yeah, I think it's getting dark," he said.

"Okay. Well, shall we go?"

"Yeah!" Nick retrieved his keys, thanking his stars that Tracy would  
finally be out of his loft after this. All she had to do was pick up her  
stuff after their shift.

***

Breakfast was uneventful, but Nick so enjoyed Tracy's discomfort whenever  
vampires were mentioned that he began again. "Were you watching my vampire  
movie?"

Tracy *just* managed not to choke. "Yeah. Isn't that a great movie?"

Nick smiled a bit menacingly. "Yeah. You know, I wonder if they'll ever  
make movies of Emily Weiss's books." He knew she would never write about  
vampires again, but the last he had heard, Hollywood been trying to acquire  
the film rights. Somehow, he couldn't imagine Emily letting anyone touch her  
books, for fear that something awful would happen yet again.

But Tracy was staring at him. "I *love* her books!"

"I met her, you know."

Tracy, chewing, nodded. "Yeah, when somebody bit her. We all heard about  
it." She paled suddenly, wondering...

But Nick interrupted, "Her assistant thought he was a vampire. Can you  
believe it?"

Tracy was wondering whether the guy might actually have *been* a vampire,  
but Nick caught the look and continued to speak. "He wanted to - how does  
Emily put it in her books - bring her across with him. He wanted to commit  
suicide and take her with him. In the end he jumped by himself." If you  
could call getting bitten by LaCroix then flung off jumping by yourself.

Tracy looked relieved. She didn't say much as she finished her meal,  
obviously thinking about vampires.

And although it had been quite fun to torture Tracy on the subject, Nick  
realise he had better stop before she realised what he'd been doing.

Because, despite how she usually acted, she *was* quite sharp. It was only  
the fact that she was scared he'd find out about vampires that had kept her  
from making the connections. Nick smirked to himself again. Someday he would  
have to tell Tracy, he really would. If just to see her face.

***

Their shift ended, and Tracy came back to the loft to get her things. But  
Nick could tell that she had something on her mind. She was taking far too  
much time packing his movies back neatly.

He came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "What's on your  
mind, Trace?"

"It's silly," she said, and Nick knew it was vampires again.

"Not if it makes you so quiet. You hardly said anything the entire night."

Tracy turned around to face him. "Have you ever had a secret so powerful  
that you thought you'd explode if you couldn't tell anyone?"

Nick managed not to grin openly, imagining himself telling everyone at the  
precinct that he was a 'bloodsucking creature of the night', as Schanke would  
have said. "Yeah. I have."

"I just wish... things weren't so complicated. I don't want to forget  
what I know, but..."

"Sometimes the knowledge is a burden. I know." Nick enjoyed the look of  
surprise she gave him at his correct assessment of her problem.

"So, what do you do?"

"You just have to learn to live with it, Trace, if you really can't tell anyone."

"I really can't tell anyone."

Nick hugged her. It seemed the only thing he could do for her.

After a minute, Tracy disengaged. "Nick, I... I just want to thank you  
for everything. I'm sorry Vachon ruined your day."

Nick must have looked surprised because Tracy hastened her apology. "I  
could see that you didn't want him here. And I'm sorry he drank your cow blood."

"Well, Vachon isn't my first choice for a friend for you," he said,  
putting an emphasis on 'friend'. "But it was just paint thickener. I can get  
some more."

Tracy brightened a bit. "You'd better be careful with that stuff, Nick.  
People might find it and think you're..."

"A vampire?"

"Yeah. How -- ?"

"Tracy, you seem to have vampires on the brain. Vampires don't exist, and  
I've been accused of that quite enough, thank you."

"Accused?"

"'Nick, why don't you go out in the daytime?'" Nick imitated Schanke, and  
quite well too. "'Got a coffin round here someplace? Bet you have a cape in  
your closet.' That kind of thing. It gets tedious."

Tracy went red. "I'm so sorry, Nick..."

Nick smiled. "No problem, really."

Tracy wondered what he'd say if he ever remembered that there *were*  
vampires. Luckily Nick wasn't a resistor, she thought.

Nick, of course, was wishing that Tracy *hadn't* been a resistor... but yet,   
she made things fun sometimes. Nick picked up Tracy's togbag. "Time to go, huh?"

"Yeah. Thank you, Nick." She kissed his cheek before bounding out of the loft.

Nick watched as she left, then went to the fridge for a much needed meal.  
As he drank the cold cow blood, he had that thought again: someday, he would  
have to tell Tracy the truth about himself.

She deserved it.

THE END


End file.
